Cathy's Art Diary

Excellent three week online course from Paul Nutall looking in detail at the first thirty years of Michelangelo’s career. As ever Paula was very clear with excellent illustrations and quotes. Of course she ran over time but she always does and that’s part of the fun of her courses. Week one we looked at Michelangelo’s life until he left for Rome in 1496, a short period he spent in Bologna and the first few years after he arrived in Rome. We discussed how we know so much about him, what his influences were and where he might have trained, even if he claimed he hadn’t. Week two concentrated on the early masterpieces in Rome the Bacchus and the Pieta shown here then the David made on his return to Florence and the Bruges Madonna. We also looked at other work done in this period between these iconic works such at the National Gallery’s two panel paintings. Finally week three looked at his years back in Florence and in particular the battle of the battle scenes for the Palazzo Vecch...

Delightful interview from the Victoria and Albert Museum with Paul Tazewell, the costume designer for Wicked. The talk was originally given the night before the premier in London but I had to listen to it as a recording however that did mean that I’d already seen the film so I was enthralled as I’d loved it. Tazewell was ably interviewed by Simon Sladen from the museum leading him through processes and characters. They sat on stage with two of the costumes. I loved the detail of the work and the thought and philosophy behind it. It makes me want to go and see the film again!

Incomprehensible exhibition at Tate Modern on the art of experimental artist Mike Kelley. I’m sorry I tried but I just didn’t understand this show. I always find it hard to engage with conceptual art with a performance element in a static exhibition but it can work if well explained. I must admit I’d already done two exhibitions and an installation at the gallery so I probably wasn’t at my most receptive. That said I found the labels almost unreadable as they didn’t always explain where the work had been show nor really what it represented. I never found the overriding description for the last room so was left very confused. On the whole I didn’t find the work that attractive but that said I liked this revolving screen with projected images and I might try the wax tower with my Christmas candles! Closes 9 March 2025 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph Evening Standard

Small exhibition at Tate Britain highlighting work by Helen Chadwick in their Artists’ Rooms series. This show complimented the Zanele Muholi, which was also on at the gallery, as it had some similar subject matter and for way the artists used their own body. I must admit I found the work hard to engage with. I think any one piece in a different context would have been interesting but I didn’t respond to it as a train of thought. I did however rather like these sculptures made by Chadwick and a fellow, male artist peeing in the snow then making a cast of the shape made. I won’t be rushing out and trying it though! Closes 8 June 2025

Impressive installation at Tate Modern by Mira Lee. This is the latest commission for the Turbine Hall and I’d not thought I’d like it as, from photos, it looked like pieces of hanging meat but it was much more complex with the ‘skins’ being made on site via water falling on material via a turbine and then drying the pieces here before hanging them. I assume over the course of the show the space will become more densely hung so I’ll definitely be back for another look. Reading the commentary the piece is remarkably nuanced with various references to industrial processes including those which originally went on in that space and it reuses features of the building such as a crane. Closes 16 March 2015 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph

Interesting exhibition at Tate Modern looking at the art of South African artist, Zanele Muholi. The work was mainly photographic documenting LGBTQIA+ life in South Africa to raise awareness of injustices and create positive visual histories. For this the artist often uses their own body. The work was presented via series of works. I loved the series Faces and Phases of Black lesbians, transgender and gender non-conforming people shown along two opposite walls of the gallery and the section on queering public space where they photograph people in spaces they would not have been allowed in under Apartheid. I was most struck though by their sculptures particularly this one which appears to balance on its toes. Closed 26 January 2025 Reviews Times Telegraph Evening Standard